#20 Bernie Ecclestone

The primary authority of F1 motor racing, Ecclestone progressed from being a driver himself to being the most big boss in the sport. Last year he bought two of his glamorous daughters homes in some of the most expensive areas of West London and a pub near Harrods in Knightsbridge.

Last we heard Ecclestone lived in a palatial house in Chelsea that had formerly served as both the Egyptian and Russian Embassies, though he was looking to sell up - possibly after the 5 foot 2 businessman was mugged nearby?

#19 Earl Cadogan and family

Charles Cadogan, the 8th Earl of Cadogan, is the head of the Cadogan Group, one of the biggest landowners in London. The group owns much of London's West End, including the very definition of London's elite - Sloane Square. Cadogan recently hit the news for employing a company called "Hawk Force" to protect his properties from pigeons.

#17 Vladimir Kim

www.kazakhmys.com

Wealth: $5.6 Billion

Industry: Mining

Born: Kazakhstan

Chairman of Kazakhstan's largest copper producer, Kazakhmys, Kim lives near the company's HQ in London. There are reports that he is seeking to buy one of the apartments at One Hyde Park, one of the "most hyped luxury developments in the world" according to the Daily Mail.

#16 Anil Agarwal

While from humble beginnings, Agarwal is happy to flaunt his wealth. "I have to do things differently. I have to project myself. I have to have a Bentley, the best of chauffeurs and butlers. All these add to the confidence," he told London's Evening Standard.

#14 Joseph Lau

The property tycoon owns a £33m ($53m) house in Belgravia's Eaton Square. The house has its own cinema, a swimming pool, gym and servant quarters, and there were reports he is eyeing another £80m ($130m) home nearby.

#12 Hans Rausing and family

Public Domain

Wealth: $6.8 Billion

Industry: Packaging

Born: Sweden

While the patriarch of the family, Hans Rausing, lives on the south coast of the UK, much of his clan live in London. His son, Hans Kristian Rausing, has become well known for his drug and drink fuelled lifestyle in the capital - the heir and his wife were caught in 2008 trying smuggle small amounts of crack cocaine and heroin into the U.S. embassy in London. Their trials and tribulations have led to rumors of a "Tetrapak curse".

#12 Sir Philip and Lady Green

flickr - ktprior

Wealth: $6.8 Billion

Industry: Retailing

Born: UK

While he spends the weekends with his wife in Monaco, Sir Philip Green spends his working weeks living in a hotel in London. Green is a true Londoner, growing up in the distinctly un-glamorous Croydon and taking over the family business after his father's death when he was 12.

He held his birthday party this year at private dining club Mosimann's, with guests such as Kate Moss and Simon Cowell.

#10 Charlene de Carvalho

Charlene de CarvalhoCourtesy of Heineken International

Wealth: $8.7 Billion

Industry: Inheritance, Brewing, and Banking

Born: Holland

Inheriting the Heineken fortune after the death of her father, Freddie Heineken, in 2002, Charlene has not followed in her playboy dad's footsteps. Instead, the heiress has lived a quiet life in London with her children and husband, a Harvard-educated financier who has also been an actor and a world class skier.

#8 Galen and George Weston and family

Wealth: $9.76 Billion

Industry: Retailing

Born: UK

While the patriarch of the family, W. Galen George, long since left the UK, his nephews Guy and George still overseas the UK branch of the family's holdings, including upscale London-store Selfridges and discount clothing store Primark.

#8 Gopi and Sri Hinduja

Srichand Hinduja, center, and Gopichand Hinduja, leftAP

Wealth: $9.8 Billion

Industry: Finance

Born: India

Moving to London from Tehran after the Iranian Revolution, the two brothers helped expand their father's financial empire, finally becoming British citizens in 2001. Their citizenship has been a source of scrutiny after it emerged the pair had donated £1 million to the ill-fated Millennium Dome project before receiving their passports, and MP Peter Mandelson was forced to resign. The pair were cleared for arms-related controversies in 2005.

The family is reported to own and reside in an entire building of apartments near Pall Mall.

#7 David and Simon Reuben

David and Simon ReubenWikimedia Commons

Wealth: $10 Billion

Industry: Property, Internet

Born: India

Born in Mumbai, the pair moved to London as teenagers. The Iranian-Jewish brothers took over their family business before making their fortune in metals in Russia. Now back in the UK and involved in technology and property, the pair are largely responsible for the redevelopment of the Paddington area of West London, which will include a rival to East London's "Gherkin" skyscraper - "The Cucumber".

#6 John Fredriksen and family

Wealth: $10 Billion

Industry: Shipping

Born: Norway

Starting from nothing, Fredriksen has created one of the largest shipping fleets in the world. building his fortune on the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. In 2005, Fredriksen turned down £140 million ($228 million) from Roman Abramovich to buy his London home, the Old Rectory in Chelsea.

#5 Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli

Kirsty BertarelliFlickr user: mhauri

Wealth: $11.1 Billion

Industry: Pharmaceuticals

Born: Italy and UK

Ernesto inherited his father's fortune in 1998, swiftly turning the pharmaceuticals company into a giant. While he lives in Switzerland with his wife, a former Miss UK winner and singer-songwriter, the pair are also reported to own a home in Knightsbridge.

#4 The Duke of Westminster

Wikimedia Commons

Wealth: $11 Billion

Industry: Property

Born: UK

Gerald Grosvenor, 6th Duke of Westminster, is the owner of the Grosvenor Group, which owns larges parts of Belgravia, Mayfair and Knightsbridge. He is also Prince William's godfather. It has also been alleged that he used the same escort agency as Elliot Spitzer.

#3 Roman Abramovich

Wealth: $16 Billion

Industry: Oil, Industry

Born: Russia

Owner of Chelsea Football Club and next-door neighbor to Mick Jagger, Abramovich's impact on London life is hard to downplay. It's a far cry from his beginnings in Russia, orphaned at age 3 and raised by his uncle.

Despite missing out on the other houses in the list, Abramovich owns a so-called "Mega-Mansion" in Knightsbridge, apparently worth $230 million.

#2 Alisher Usmanov

Wealth: $20 Billion

Industry: Steel

Born: Uzbekistan

Imprisoned for six years in a Soviet penal colony on charges he was later pardoned for, Usmanov has come back to become one of the richest men in the world. He managed to make a fortune in steel, but today he is also becoming known as a savvy tech investor - his company mail.ru holds stakes in Facebook, Groupon and Zynga.

Like Abramovich, Usmanov is a huge fan of the Premier League, owning a 27% stake in Arsenal FC. "My love for Arsenal is like that of a man for a woman," he has said. "It is not something you can sell."

#1 Lakshmi Mittal and family

Wealth: $28.4 Billion

Industry: Steel

Born: India

Chief executive of the world's largest steel producer ArcelorMittal, Mittal has dominated London's rich lists for years. He owns three homes on Kensington Palace Gardens -- so called "billionaire's row" -- another mansion just outside of London in Surrey, and hopes to build a "carbon neutral" mansion this year.

Like all good foreign billionaires, Mittal owns a stake in a football team (Queens Park Rangers).